Reporting injuries helps keep workplaces safer, so you stay safer

Workplace accidents happen all the time, but many of them are avoidable. Imagine if placing a single guardrail could prevent someone from falling into a piece of machinery or if a sign could alert someone to danger. Just changing one thing in the workplace could be the difference between life, death or serious injuries.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) showed that 10,388 severe injuries took place in workplaces across America in 2015. Many of these injuries led to amputations, taking some people out of the workforce completely. Their reports show that around 2,644 amputations took place in 2015 alone.

The data collected only comes from 26 states, so it's safe to say that there are likely more injuries than this report showed. The data from those state is important, though, because those 26 states have higher standards than required by the federal government. If they're following strict standards and still having 30 severe work-related injuries a day, that's a cause for concern.

One problem is that OSHA believes only around 50 percent of injuries are reported in the above 26 states. That means that steps aren't always taken to prevent injuries, leading to more serious accidents down the line. Other companies attempt to hide unsafe conditions. Today, OSHA fines companies up to $7,000 for failing to report injuries.

Making workplaces safer isn't always easy, but taking the right steps is. Reporting injuries is necessary, as is getting the workers' compensation insurance needed for employees. Our site has more information on what you can do if you've been a victim of a workplace accident.

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